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Campo Has Faith In Newman, Jenkins
Rob Phillips
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
IRVING, Texas - Two months before draft day, mock draft after mock draft has Nebraska's Prince Amukamara going to the Cowboys at No. 9 overall.
That's fine, and maybe the standout Husker will indeed join Dave Campo's secondary. But for now, the Cowboys happen to have a lot of money invested in two former first-round corners: Terence Newman and Mike Jenkins.
Campo predicts both players, as well as the entire defensive back rotation, will overcome a forgettable 2010. And they must for the defense to thrive under new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.
Newman and Jenkins are only 12 months removed from Pro Bowl appearances, yet both were part of a Cowboys unit that allowed the seventh-most passing yards per game (243.3) and the fifth-most passing yards per play (7.21). Newman battled injuries for much of the season, while Jenkins' confidence appeared to dip during a three-game October stretch that produced five pass interference penalties. He finished with a league-high six after tallying just one in 2009.
"I think he got started slow with the penalties and that, and I think it kind of spooked him a little bit and I don't think he played the way he's capable of playing," Campo said. "I'm excited that he's still a young player. Now, if a guy was a 10-year player and he wasn't playing well, I'd be a little nervous. But I think he can respond, and I think it's a combination of him and me doing a good job at making sure we're focused and headed forward."
Campo said Jenkins played markedly better in the final eight games, partly because he got back to using sound technique.
"I think sometimes what you end up doing is you end up looking at it and saying, 'I'm going to go back to my old ways a little bit. I'm going to play my game,'" Campo said. "You can't do that. You've got to play within the scheme, and I think that's something he realizes.
"It's not always going to go your way. It's like playing shortstop - you boot one and you've got to be ready to play the next one or somebody else is going to be in there."
Newman was bothered for several weeks by a rib injury sustained in Week 7, as well as an ankle injury later in the season. As his 33rd birthday approaches in September, speculation persists about his future in Dallas despite having four years left on his six-year, $50 million extension from 2008.
"When we went through our personnel stuff, and the first thing Rob mentioned something about was Newman. 'Boy, I really like that kid, he's got this, this and this,'" Campo recalled. "That's a positive. He'll fight back and we'll play better this year."
It's possible the Cowboys' top-three corner rotation will remain unchanged with Newman, Jenkins and three-year veteran Orlando Scandrick, who was overall solid in the slot. But head coach Jason Garrett did say last week the defense needs corner depth. With Alan Ball sliding to free safety, the Cowboys only went three deep for half the season.
"You need cover guys in this league," Garrett said. "We had a little bit of confidence there - and I don't want to speak too much to this because I was the offensive coordinator at the time, so I wasn't in these conversations as directly - but the position flexibility that Alan Ball provided allowed us to do that a little bit more than maybe we would otherwise. You need a lot of cover guys, there's no question about that."
Deep and consistent are clearly the goals for 2011.
Rob Phillips
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
IRVING, Texas - Two months before draft day, mock draft after mock draft has Nebraska's Prince Amukamara going to the Cowboys at No. 9 overall.
That's fine, and maybe the standout Husker will indeed join Dave Campo's secondary. But for now, the Cowboys happen to have a lot of money invested in two former first-round corners: Terence Newman and Mike Jenkins.
Campo predicts both players, as well as the entire defensive back rotation, will overcome a forgettable 2010. And they must for the defense to thrive under new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.
Newman and Jenkins are only 12 months removed from Pro Bowl appearances, yet both were part of a Cowboys unit that allowed the seventh-most passing yards per game (243.3) and the fifth-most passing yards per play (7.21). Newman battled injuries for much of the season, while Jenkins' confidence appeared to dip during a three-game October stretch that produced five pass interference penalties. He finished with a league-high six after tallying just one in 2009.
"I think he got started slow with the penalties and that, and I think it kind of spooked him a little bit and I don't think he played the way he's capable of playing," Campo said. "I'm excited that he's still a young player. Now, if a guy was a 10-year player and he wasn't playing well, I'd be a little nervous. But I think he can respond, and I think it's a combination of him and me doing a good job at making sure we're focused and headed forward."
Campo said Jenkins played markedly better in the final eight games, partly because he got back to using sound technique.
"I think sometimes what you end up doing is you end up looking at it and saying, 'I'm going to go back to my old ways a little bit. I'm going to play my game,'" Campo said. "You can't do that. You've got to play within the scheme, and I think that's something he realizes.
"It's not always going to go your way. It's like playing shortstop - you boot one and you've got to be ready to play the next one or somebody else is going to be in there."
Newman was bothered for several weeks by a rib injury sustained in Week 7, as well as an ankle injury later in the season. As his 33rd birthday approaches in September, speculation persists about his future in Dallas despite having four years left on his six-year, $50 million extension from 2008.
"When we went through our personnel stuff, and the first thing Rob mentioned something about was Newman. 'Boy, I really like that kid, he's got this, this and this,'" Campo recalled. "That's a positive. He'll fight back and we'll play better this year."
It's possible the Cowboys' top-three corner rotation will remain unchanged with Newman, Jenkins and three-year veteran Orlando Scandrick, who was overall solid in the slot. But head coach Jason Garrett did say last week the defense needs corner depth. With Alan Ball sliding to free safety, the Cowboys only went three deep for half the season.
"You need cover guys in this league," Garrett said. "We had a little bit of confidence there - and I don't want to speak too much to this because I was the offensive coordinator at the time, so I wasn't in these conversations as directly - but the position flexibility that Alan Ball provided allowed us to do that a little bit more than maybe we would otherwise. You need a lot of cover guys, there's no question about that."
Deep and consistent are clearly the goals for 2011.